The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has announced that it collected N333.9 billion in revenue in the last four months.
The Comptroller-General of the Service, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this at a national workshop on legislative compliance in Abuja.
The Customs chief also revealed that the NCS monthly revenue increased from N202 billion to N333.9 billion in the past four months.
Adeniyi said the service collected an average revenue of N202 billion in the first half of the year, adding that in the past four months, monthly revenue collection increased to N333.9 billion between July and October, showcasing a 65.5 percent increase.
Adeniyi added that the Customs partnership with the National Assembly yielded positive outcomes through a review and enhancement of tariff structures and regulations.
He said that NCS managed to optimize revenue collection and ensured that funds were available for national development projects.
He noted: “One of our early achievements has been a remarkable boost in monthly revenue collection.
“I am delighted to announce that we have consistently exceeded the monthly target collection of N307 billion, marking a remarkable departure from previous performances.
“The joint efforts of the NCS and the legislative arm of government have allowed us to respond effectively to public concerns and petitions.”
An importer, Shola Olugbenga however, advised the service to concentrate more on trade facilitation.
Olugbenga also urged the federal government to review the Customs’ exchange rate to end cargo diversion.
He said: “It was in June that importers across the nation’s seaports began to pay more import duty for the clearance of our goods at the seaports following the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to increase the official exchange rate used by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to calculate import duties and levies from N422.30/$1 to N589/$1.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
